#food #focus #brain #health
“Our eating plan plays a major role in regulating our physical and mental energy as well as mood, which in turn affects our focus and attention”— Paul Ebeling
To boost your mental focus, the following foods/beverages have been proven to help, as follows:
Fatty fish: Omega-3 fatty acids can be found in some nuts and plants, but fatty fish like tuna and salmon are the best dietary sources. Omega-3s are essential fatty acids (EFAs) which are important for the function of your brain. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and Eicosapentaenoic are the EFAs found in fish.
It is recommended to eat fatty fish twice a week. Omega 3 rich fish are salmon, mackerel, sardines, lake trout, tuna, and herring. Avoid farmed salmon as it contains high concentrations of pesticides and dioxins, as well as a class of industrial chemicals known as PCBs. “Atlantic” salmon is farmed salmon.
Avocados are an excellent source of monounsaturated fats, which help to increase production of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Acetylcholine functions primarily as a neuromodulator found in the central nervous system which helps to improve your focus and attention by enhancing sensory perception.
Avocados are a good source of the amino acid tyrosine, a precursor to dopamine, the brain chemical involved in pleasure, motivation and learning. Dopamine helps to improve your attention and focus. Reduced concentrations of dopamine are believed to be a contributing factor for attention deficit disorder.
Accelerate the ripening your avocados by placing them in a brown paper bag with a banana. These fruits produce ethylene gases which are trapped in the paper bag, ripening the avocados faster.
Eggs: The yolk of an egg is an excellent source of choline, a precursor to acetylcholine, the neurotransmitter that helps to improve your focus and attention by regulating cognitive function. Low levels of choline have been associated with Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. Choline is a precursor to citicoline as well, another nutrient important for your brain’s health. Citicoline helps to increase blood flow to your brain and enhances your brain’s ability to utilize blood glucose, its main source of fuel. Research has shown that citicoline supplementation can help to improve focus and mental energy. Eggs can also be a good source of omega-3 fatty acids.
Free-range organic eggs have 2X the omega-3s in comparison to eggs that are conventionally farmed.
Dark chocolate: Dark chocolate is full of neuroprotective flavonoids which benefit the health of the brain by promoting brain plasticity and helping your brain cells live longer. These flavonoids enhance cerebral blood flow which helps to improve attention span, memory, problem solving capabilities and reaction time. The flavonoid epicatechin found in cocoa and dark chocolate helps to improve various cognitive functions. One study has shown that consumption of dark chocolate improved performance on cognitive tests which included the abstract reasoning test, the scanning and tracking test, the working memory test, the visual-spatial memory test, and the organization test.
Snack on 1.5 to 3 os of 70% dark chocolate a day to give your brain a healthy boost.
Eat healthy, Be healthy, Live lively
